


Homosexuality is Contageous

by minamiren



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, kiss project au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-17
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-23 08:57:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3762259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minamiren/pseuds/minamiren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All he’d done was been told to close his eyes--he’d complied without questioning--and had let himself be led out by one of the workers to where the camera apparently was. He couldn’t hear his partner aside from a few footsteps, and couldn’t open his eyes to check who she looked like.</p><p>Au in which John is invited to be in one of those 'kiss projects,' where strangers are invited and paired up with each other, and asked to kiss on camera for a social experiment. John isn't paired up with the pretty girl he expects.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homosexuality is Contageous

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheOrgasmicSeke](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOrgasmicSeke/gifts), [RaffyCaffy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaffyCaffy/gifts), [sumevian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sumevian/gifts).



> I'm sorry I haven't been updating much, and that this isn't an update of Children Aren't Easy, but when tumblr user [Vanberts](http://vanberts.tumblr.com) gave me this idea (and also came up with the title), I had to stop to write it. 
> 
> So here's to him, who gave me the idea, and also [Addy,](http://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOrgasmicSeke/pseuds/TheOrgasmicSeke) whose birthday it is, and [Harley,](http://literallykanaya.tumblr.com) because both of them deserve the pick-me-up. I hope you enjoy!

When John was asked to participate in this ‘project,’ he accepted without much thought. He honestly was not entirely sure what the project was for--some social experiment, probably. The point was, he was invited into a studio to be blindly paired up with another random person, and he was supposed to kiss them.

No catch, just kiss.

It didn’t take him long to agree--he’d probably get to kiss a cute girl, maybe he’d get her name and number, and if not no loss. Cute girls were great and he was totally okay with kissing them.

However, when he had accepted, he hadn’t taken ‘paired up with another random person’ to mean that he might get paired up with a guy.

All he’d done was been told to close his eyes--he’d complied without questioning--and had let himself be led out by one of the workers to where the camera apparently was. He couldn’t hear his partner aside from a few footsteps, and couldn’t open his eyes to check who she looked like. All he could really see was faint light shining through his eyelids, hinting to him that it was going to be pretty bright in the room when he opened them--assumably for the camera shot.

A disembodied voice speaks from somewhere to his left. “Okay, you two. The camera is over here, but don’t mind it. You can talk, introduce yourselves, anything you want, but you are required to kiss, and you only have five minutes. Don’t bother looking at us, just pretend we’re not here; we’ll tell you when your time’s up. Understand? Just nod.”

Your mouth had been open to voice a yes, but you close it and nod instead. Woah. A little dizzy from that headshake there for a moment. Vertigo sucks.

“Okay,” the voice continues, after the other assumably nods as well. “Your time begins when you open your eyes at the count of three...two...one.”

John opens his eyes, and the first thing he does is close them again because holy hell he was correct in guessing it would be so bright. He might have actually gone blind, he is pretty sure. Cracking them open again a few seconds later, however, assures him that he did not in fact go blind, but that the light is much more bearable and the black spots dancing in his vision are quickly fading.

This is all running unnoticed commentary in the back of his mind, however, because his eyes and the rest of his attention is firmly focused on the figure in front of him.

They are not a cute girl.

They’re not a girl at all, actually--cute, or otherwise. The person standing in front of John is most definitely male, from the baggy jeans with hands shoved in his pockets to his face, strong jawline and all. He’s attractive.

“I’m not gay,” is the first thing out of John’s mouth--great going. Not a ‘hi,’ or a ‘how are you,’ or a ‘my name is John.’ Instead he finds the need to inform the other that he is not, in fact, a homosexual.

The other snorts slightly, shaking his head. “That isn’t the point of this, genius. The point is a social experiment studying different reactions to kisses. Your sexuality doesn’t have to get involved. It’s just a kiss.” He frowns. “Unless, of course, you’re absolutely determined not to ever kiss a guy. In which case, it’s a wrap-up! Time for everyone to go home; sorry Karkat, you don’t get a chance to kiss anyone today, your partner isn’t into guys.”

John raises his eyebrow. “Karkat?” he questions.

Karkat rolls his eyes. “Combination of ‘Katherine’ and ‘Karter,’ my parent’s names. Spelled with ‘K’s,’ please and thank you.”

John just grins. “I think that’s pretty cool! My name’s John, by the way. Pretty boring compared to yours.”

“Are you introducing yourself just before you leave out of disgust for my gender, or are we actually going to get this over with?” John can’t help noting the defensive way that Karkat speaks in, like he’s afraid of being turned down despite being seemingly sure that he will be.

So instead of agreeing (with less harsh words), John shakes his head, suddenly wanting not to let the other down. “No. We can kiss. Like you said, social experiment, right?”

Karkat seems to think this over for a minute (he purses his lips when he does this; it’s rather adorable), then seems to loosen from his defensive position, giving in. “Fine. Close your eyes,” he instructs.

John tilts his head to the side. “Excuse me?”

“Close your eyes. I’ll kiss you that way so maybe your only thought won’t be on my gender. Or something like that.”

John considers protesting this statement for a bit--he really wouldn’t be that hung up over Karkat’s gender (he doesn’t think). In the end, though, he doesn’t bother, and instead just closes his eyes and prepares himself.

There’s a slight shuffle, then a hand on his cheek. Warm. “You’re really fucking tall,” he hears, surprisingly close to him, and John can’t help huffing out a laugh.

“Six foot one,” he informs. “Need me to lean down?”

“Fuck you, you’re seven inches taller than me,” he responds, and instead of letting John lean down, he tugs him down by his shirt collar, and a moment later John feels a fleeting warmth across his lips.

It doesn’t last long--maybe two or three seconds, max, but it’s enough time for John to think that wow this stranger has really, really soft lips--does he use chapstick? And also that kissing a guy honestly isn’t all that different from kissing a girl. It’s not horrific or weird or creepy or anything else that John may have thought. It’s just nice.

John opens his eyes for a second after Karkat pulls away before realizing that wow, they probably still have a few minutes left. And no point in standing here awkwardly now, is there? So he laughs some, this slightly breathy chuckle easily displaying how ungraceful he’s going to be about this, and cradles Karkat’s face, leans down and kisses him again.

It’s different, this time. Maybe because John wasn’t surprised by the kiss completely. Maybe because they’d already kissed before. Maybe because John actually initiated this one, despite not being gay. For whatever reason, though, it really is different--a good different, John is not long in deciding.

Karkat's lips are frozen against John's own for a moment, completely surprised at being kissed again by this supposedly straight person, but it's not long till he's reaching up to wrap his arms around John's neck, returning the kiss. Finally, he gets to kiss someone properly, the way he wanted to.

John, meanwhile, is blown away by how Karkat kisses him back. He was a good kisser. And by that, John meant really good. Not even tongue or anything, just pressed against John, fingers buried in his hair, head slanted and driving him nuts with short, deep kisses.

John can't help making this embarrassing low noise against Karkat's lips. John had had many girlfriends in the past, and a lot of them were pretty damn good kissers, but when he parts his lips to let Karkat lick inside his mouth, it's obvious to him that Karkat is by far the best.

Was that insulting to any of the girls he's dated in the past? He hopes not. Except maybe that one or two that had been cheating on him, those John is fine with insulting. John is scrabbling at Karkat's back some in an effort to get him closer, and he seriously wished he had some counter or something to lift the other on to kiss him more properly. Not that he's actually complaining.

Karkat's hair is thick and soft between his fingers, unlike John's own wispy, thinner hair. John had never kissed anyone like this before and he absolutely loved it.

He just keeps going back for more, tongue sliding against the other's, pressing closer, going so far as to get a knee between Karkat's thighs (he's not grinding but John has a feeling it's close to that point). He kisses and kisses and kisses and it's not until Karkat's pulling away (John had whined embarrassingly when Karkat's lips first left his) that he realizes their time is up. Five minutes have passed.

Karkat's lips are kiss-swollen. His pupils are slightly blown. Oh man.

John realizes he's probably in the exact same situation.

"Okay, you two are done." The voice that had been instructing them ended up being from some surprisingly young guy in a scarf. Aw man, there were probably a lot of people watching him completely make out with that random stranger. And if it got posted, thousands more probably would.

Speaking of that random stranger--and when John looks back at where he'd been a moment ago, he was gone. John gets out of the recording room just in time to see the front door of the studio swing shut.

And there he goes. The guy named Karkat whom he had the chance to make out with, and had honestly been funny and John will not have the chance to do it again because he's leaving.

It doesn't take long before he realizes that he can't let that happen.

He's running out the door with only one jacket sleeve partway on, and almost cries at the sight of the crowd outside. Karkat was so short John might never find him.

But then he sees it, that dark red button-up he had been wearing that had looked really nice on him.

John was going to be having a really hard time continuing to convince himself that he wasn't a homosexual in the future, considering what he was about to do. He might need to rethink that later.

He takes off through the crowd, honestly feeling slightly guilty about all the people he ends up accidentally running into or pushing aside, but he can't let Karkat turn a corner and lose him.

And then finally, he's in arm's reach, and John lunges forward to grab Karkat's forearm.

"Karkat!" He gasps, lungs not wanting to cooperate with him after his frantic little sprint.

Karkat turns around and frowns at him. "John, are you okay? You look like you just got mugged and someone crushed your windpipe so you'd give them exactly what they want."

John coughs a few times, then holds up his finger. He digs around in his pocket some, pulling out a locket necklace, a few leather bracelets, some change, an old receipt, and finally an inhaler. He shoves everything back in before holding the inhaler to his lips, pressing down and sucking in. The inhaler joins the black hole of his pocket soon after.

"Okay," John manages, and Karkat is honestly concerned about his breathing abilities (why would he run so far if he had asthma?), but the tone in John's voice gives him pause.

"Okay," he repeats, voice audibly better than a second ago. "I'm not a homosexual or anything, I don't think, but you're actually really cute and a great kisser and I was hoping maybe I could get your number or the other way around and possibly go on a date?" This whole thing is spoken in one long run-on sentence, betraying the nervousness he'd been trying to hide.

Karkat eyes him, slightly suspicious. "Not gay, but want to go on a date," he repeats.

John nods eagerly. "Yeah. I just--I'd really like to maybe try. You're seriously having me question my sexuality here, dude. You're attractive."

"My personality is much less so," Karkat cautions dryly.

John just shrugs. "I think you're funny. And I could have interesting conversations with you. Do you like movies? If so, we should totally go see one. Uh. If the date thing is okay. If not, I guess we could go as friends? Wow, I need to learn when to stop talking." He finally shuts his mouth.

"Movies," Karkat says slowly, and John nods hesitantly. "Fine. I'm in. I need to see that new romcom that came out anyway."

John doesn't bother noting that he isn't usually for romance (even though sometimes they're interesting), too ecstatic over the fact that Karkat seems to have said yes.

"So," he tries. "I can have your number?"

Karkat rolls his eyes. "Yes, idiot, you can have my number. Got a pen?"

John immediately dives into his other pocket, causing Karkat to roll his eyes as he pulls out at least five different things before emerging with a pen. "Here," he offers. "You need paper too?"

Karkat snorts and shakes his head. "You'd never be able to find it in those pockets. It's just a rumpled ball by now anyway. Come on, give me your hand."

John extends his arm slowly, and Karkat grabs his wrist before curling over it. John struggles not to laugh at the tickle of the pen, but when Karkat pulls away there are ten upside-down digits written on it and he can't believe this is happening.

"When are you next free?" He asks hopefully.

Karkat considers this for a moment. "Tonight at five. I'm due at my friend's house to help her with something."

"That works for me," John responds. "Can I meet you somewhere? Pick you up?"

"Outside that building we were just in. I'll be there by five fifteen."

John nods quickly, then frowns, biting his lip. Karkat snorts at how apparent it is the other wants to ask something.

"What is it?"

John takes a deep breath. "I have to go meet up with one of my friends for homework, but...can I kiss you first?"

Karkat can't help the small bark of laughter that forces it's way out his throat. John actually blushes--Karkat's smiling face is adorable. Wow.

"John, I just agreed to go on a date with you. I'm kind of really okay with being your boyfriend. You can kiss me whenever you want."

John turns even more red at the mention of the word 'boyfriend,' but nods. "Okay," he says.

His watch beeps. He really needs to go. "Tonight at five fifteen?" He double checks. Karkat nods.

"Good." John starts to turn away, hesitates. Then he decides he can't stand it, so he turns back around quickly, grabs Karkat's face in his hands, and kisses him.

He pulls away to see Karkat's expression dazed and surprised, and he grins widely. "See you then," he says before running off, almost bowling someone over from staring at the upside down numbers on his hand.


End file.
